Temperature responsive device



July 31, 1934. E. TYDEN TEMPERATURE RESPONSIVE DEVICE Or ginal Filed June 30, 1950 @Waz'z for 2 /2235? mm :Qfi'arzze 5.

Reissued July 31, 1934 UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE TEMPERATURE aEsro'NsIvE DEVICE Emmet, Hastings, Mich. Original No. 1,856,274, dated May 3, 1932, Serial No. 464,946, June so, 1930. Application for reissue March 3,- 1934, Serial No. 713,942 r claims. (o1. zen-12f The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved temperature-responsive device'for con trolling the operation of any apparatus whose functions are required or conditioned upon the occurrence of certain temperature conditions at thelocality of the temperature-responsive device...

It isparticularly designed for controlling the operation of a.fire extinguishing apparatus installed in a building to'be protected, and it accordingly shown in the form and dimensioned suitable for installation in the apartment to be protected, in connection with a 'fire extinguish.- ing apparatusinstalled therein. It consists of the elementsand features of construction shown and described, as indicated in the claims.

In the drawing: Figure -l is an elevation of an apparatus embodying the invention shown in connection with thecooperating elements of a fire entinguishing installation. V Figure 2 is a partly sectional view .of the structure shown in Figure 1 upon an enlarged scale,

section being made in'vertic'al plane axial with respect to the part indicated at H in Figure 1.

- Figure 3 is a section at the line 3-3 on Figure 2.

device of the inventionrnay be described,

in general terms as consisting of twometal bars or rods of the same metal or metals, having sub 'stantially the same thermal coefficient, butpt widely different cross section, the two bars -be-, ing mounted side by side for like exposure to the local temperature, the bars being held fixed with respect to eachother by supporting means at f'one. end and-relatively movable longitudinally at their opposite ends; so that when a rapid rise of temperature occurs, the thinner bar being quickly heated through its entire cross section, is elongated a substantial amount before the greater bar any appreciable elongation; and a movable part whose position at'twopoints in its length is de-, termined by the position of the ends of the two; bars respectively, will be displaced by movement- 01 the pointzof action on it of the lesser bar; and the resulting change of position of said movable part is utilized to actuate a cooperating part of the" instrument or apparatus which it. is the function of the temperature-responsive device to becomes heated through a sufficient portion of its diameter .or thickness to manifest,

this invention, are indicated at A. Mounted near the ceiling of the apartment is a housing H, substantially tubular, but open at the lower side for the greater'part ofits length, as indicated at' h, said housing being mounted and secured in any convenient manner by attachment. to the wall orceiling of the apartment, as by hangers or brackets, H H

The housing, H, carries a pair of metal rods,' I and J, the rod, I, being of relatively large diam eter, and the rod, J, being relatively slender. In order to operate for the purpose for which the rods are thus differentially dimensioned, thecross section of the larger rod shouldbe at least fifty percent greater than that of the lesser rod. Much greater difierence, as shown, is unobjectionable, and under some conditions, preferable. Both rods are made fast at one end in a cross bar, h proximateto a head plate, K of the housing in which the rods, I and J, are slidingly mounted at their ends beyond said cross bar; The housing has mounted in it at the other end a bracket'member, K, formed with a 'web, k,-

' which constitutes the head plate of the housing at that end and in which the rod, I, is fixed and the rod, J, carried slidingly." The bracket, K, may constitute the support fora fitting, F, hereinafter identified as part of the installation of the fire extinguishing apparatus with a-member of which thedevice ofthe invention is to cooperate, as hereinafter explained. And as shown, said bracket is integral with said fitting, F. ,The bracket is extendedfor afi'ording pivotal support, as seen at 37, for a weighted lever, 36, which extends upwardly from its pivot with the weight, 35, overhanging from the pivot; and said weighted lever is held normally at the position indicated against gravity by a latch member, 40, pivoted at one end of the web, k, of the bracket, K, and having at the other end a catch nose, 41, which engages a catch, 42, carried by the lever, 36, as seen in Figure 2. I

At suitable place or places in the length of the rods, I and J, the housing, H, is furnished with suitable guide bearing for both rods, as indicated by one such guide bearing, 45, to prevent the rods or either of them from sagging by their own weight, as they might be liable to do when heated.

The operation of this structure in its response to temperature, which is that upon slow change of temperature, the two rods, I and J, acquire the changed temperature substantially at the same rate; and being of the same metal they are lengthened or shortened equally in change of temperature which occurs slowly. But in the 110' case of temperature due to fire in the apartment and consequently taking place rapidly, the slender rod becomes heated through so as to expand longitudinally before the larger rod is nearly 5 heated to more than a small fraction of its diameter, or before it is heated to a sufficient fraction of the diameter to cause it to show any appreciable elongation.

The latch member, 40, has near its pivot a de-,..

the web, k, which is held by the heavier rod, 1,,

unmoved in' the housing, the engagement ofthe rod, J, with the end of the screw, 47, in the lug,

46, of the latch causes the latch nose to be dis-.

engaged from the catch, 42, thus releasing the weighted lever, 36, causing the weight, 35, by a boss, 35, withwhich it is provided in the center, to encounter a cooperating member of the adjacently installed part of the fire extinguishing apparatus, and operate the latter for effecting the course, form no part of this invention but may be described for the purpose of making clear the.

"duit for fluid pressure; being in the particular.

desired control of the fire' extinguishing appa- The particular character of these cooperating element'sof the fire extinguishing apparatus, of

operation of the thermostatic temperature-respons'ive device. And the same are accordingly shown in Figure 3, from which it may be understood that a pipe line, M,fwhich serves as aconfire extinguishing apparatus utilized for this illustration the air pressure in the discharge line of a dry pipe valve system, has mounted in it y for controlling the air pressure of air fiow therethrough, a-valve, N, which is held closed ,bya;

displaceable strut, O, (as shown displaceable by breaking) a thrust pin, P, carried by afiexible orotherwise slightly movable wall member of the valve chamber is arranged at its inner endfor breaking the strut, its outer end beingfexposed' for encounter with the weight of the tempera-f tum-responsive device when the latter falls upon being released bythe operation of said deviceas above described. a

' I claim:

1. ,A temperature-responsive device comprising a pair of bars of substantial length, a supporting structure in which said bars, are mounted extending longitudinally in the same general direction, j

one of said bars'being at least fifty percent greater in cross section than the other,the supporting structure comprising a fixed head ateachi end, the two bars being mounted fixedly with respect to each other at their end portions which extend toward one of said fixed heads, the greater bar being mounted fixedly at the other end in the other fixed head and the lesser bar being mounted movable longitudinally with respect to. said other fixed head, and means for controlling the 'operation of an associated apparatus, said means being carried by said supporting structure and operatively associated with the lesser bar for longitudinalmovement thereby in the movement of the longitudinally movable end pdrtionof the latter due to its elongation in excess of that of the greater bar.

2. In the construction defined in claim 1, the supporting structure being a casing open at the lower side and closed at the upper side, whereby it constitutes a hood over the bars for receiving and holding about said bar's hot air and gases due tofirein the vicinity of the structure, the

.barsand said casing being arranged in a generally horizontally extending position.

- 3. The construction defined in claim 1, the apparatus-controlling means comprising first and second members both carried movably by the supporting structure and normally engaged with each other against relative movement, the first member being operatively associated withthe movable end portion of the lesser bar for movement thereby in the elongation of the latter to diseni gage said first member from the second.

4. A temperaturerresponsive .device comprising a pair of bars of substantial length, said bars, being mounted substantially parallel to each other, one of said bars being at least fifty percent greater in crosssection than the other; asupporting structure in'which both said bars are mounted and held fixed with'respect to each other at one point in the length of each bar; a support carried by said structure for theother end of both bars to which support said end of the greater bar is fixed, and by; which support the lesser bar is carried in the longitudinal movement due to its elongation; a first movable member carried by the support and operatively associated with'the lesser bar for movement thereby relativelyto said support; a secondmovable member carried by the support for automatic movement relatively thereto and releasably con nected with the first mentioned bar for preventing said automatic movement, the'connection between said members being arranged for release by the movement of the first mentioned member due to, the elongationof the lesser bar by tern perature rise.

5. A temperature-responsive device comprising a pair of metal bars of substantial length,-said barsbeing mounted substantially parallel to each other, one of said'bars being at least fifty percent greater in cross section than the other; a supp'ortingstructure in which bothtsaid bars are mounted and'held fixed with. respect to: each other'at one end of both bars; a support. carried by said structure for theother end of bothbars'.

to which support said end of the greater-bar-is fixed; and by which support the lesser bar is.

carried in the movement of elongation, and a member carried by the support in a manner permitting automatic movement of said member relatively to the support; a. second member carried by the support movable relatively thereto and operativelyassociated with said lesser bar for deriving movement from the movement of elongation of the latter, said. second .member being, normally disengageably engaged with said auto-p matically movable member preventing the auto-;

matio movement of the latter and arranged to be disengaged forreleasing said member by the movement derive'd-from'the elongation ofisaid lesser bar; I

6. A temperature-responsive device comprising a pair of metal bars of-substantial length, said barsbeing mounted substantially parallel to each other, one of said bars being at least fifty percent greater in cross section then the other; a. supporting structure lIllWhiCh both of said bars;-

are mounted and held fixed with respect to each other at one end of both bars, said structure comprising a support for the other end of both bars to which support said other end of the greater bar is fixed and with respect to which the lesser bar is free to move longitudinally while supported thereby; a member carried by the supporting structure operatively associated with the lesser bar for movement relatively to the support by the movement of the free end of said lesser bar due to its elongation, and an automatically movable device arranged to be held releasably in fixed position by said member and adapted to be released from said fixed position by the movement of said member due to the elongation'of the lesser bar.

'7. In a temperature-responsive device comprising a pair of metal bars of substantial length, said bars being mounted substantially parallel to each other, one of said bars being at least fifty percent greater in cross section than the other a supporting structure in which both said bars are mounted and held fixed with respect to each other at one end of both bars; a support carried by said structure for the other end of both bars to which support said end of the greater bar is fixed, and by which support the lesser bar is carried slidingly; a latch device pivotally mounted and operatively associated with said lesser bar so as to be moved upon a sudden rise in temperature, due to the more rapid elongation of the lesser bar; a weighted lever arranged to be held by engagement of said latch, the movement of said pivoted member due to said elongation being in the direction for disengaging the latch to release the weighted lever.

EMIL TYDEN. 

